When it Rains
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: 1 Thunderstorm, 1,000 variables, 1 brother lost.
1. The Dream

**Title: When it Rains…**

**Author: Numb3rsfan**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Warnings: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs. This fic is only for the enjoyment of the reader.**

**Summary: 1 Thunderstorm. 1,000 variables, 1 brother lost.**

NUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RSNUMB3RS

Chapter One.

"_That's right Stan, we have an unbelievable 70 chance of rain this coming Thursday."_ The weatherman, Chuck Knight said to the news anchor, Stan Levige, who nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Rain. We really need it." Alan Eppes said as he tore his gaze away from the television screen and focused it on the outside window were his two sons, Don and Charlie were playing near the small above ground swimming pool that Alan had installed only two months ago.

Don was tossing a baseball to his younger brother Charlie.

Charlie would fumble a little with the ball, before latching on to it and weakly tossing it back.

It was clear that Charlie really didn't have a throwing arm like Don did.

If anything, Charlie was better standing in front of a chalk board, with chalk in his hands, than with a baseball in his hands.

"Come on Charlie, concentrate on the ball, man." 17 year old Don Eppes said to his 13 year old brother, who looked as if he was actually scared of the ball.

Charlie bit his lower lip as his young eyes tracked the baseball's upward arc as it hit the base of a tree and bounced off it, to fall and bounce a little ways off the ground, right in front of Charlie.

"Come on Charlie, you were supposed to catch that!" Don said, quite exasperated with his younger brother.

"I'm trying, Donnie." Charlie replied as he bent down, picked up the baseball and threw it at Don.

Charlie's throw was so bad that the ball curved sharply, forcing Don to run after it.

The ball hit the wooden fence separating the Eppes backyard with the Freeman's, with quite a loud bang, making Don and Charlie flinch.

Bending down, Don picked up the baseball, and then nodded towards the Freeman's house when he saw a slightly angry Thomas Freeman looking out the window.

"Sorry Mr. Freeman." Don said apologetically as he turned and made his way back to the old towel that he had designated 'home plate.'

Looking over at Charlie, Don saw that his brother wasn't even looking at him.

Snickering, Don tossed the ball up in the air and yelled, "HEAD'S UP!" milliseconds before he really smashed the ball.

Charlie jerked his head forward when Don yelled, and looked up suddenly when he saw something small headed his way.

Gulping, Charlie raised his glove and stepped back, trying to keep the ball in his sights like Don had said to do.

When Charlie felt the slightly cold steel of the above ground pool he nearly jumped in surprise, and as such, he took his gaze off of the ball.

Turning, Charlie looked at the pool and never saw the ball coming down right at his head.

"CHARLIE! LOO….." Don yelled, but it was too late.

The baseball smacked Charlie right in the head and sent the thirteen year old stumbling back with so much force that he actually tumbled over the edge of the swimming pool and fell in to the cool water.

"Aw man." Don said as he dropped the bat and jogged over to the pool, expecting his brother to surface any minute.

When Charlie didn't surface, Don began to get slightly worried.

Quickly he looked in to the pool and saw his brother's still body lying at the bottom of the pool.

Blood clearly stained the water around his little brother's head.

Forgetting his anger at his brother's lack in skill with baseball, Don grabbed the edge of the pool and swiftly jumped over it and in to the water.

"CHARLIE!" Don said with worry before he took a big gulp of air and went under the water, quickly swimming to his brother's limp form.

Water bubbles stuck to Don's cheek as he stopped right next to Charlie's limp form.

Not taking any time to assess his brother's condition, Don just grabbed Charlie's shoulders and quickly swam to the top of the water.

Breaking the surface of the water, Don took in a big gulp of air before he dragged Charlie's body to the ladder.

"DAD!" Don yelled at the top of his lungs as he fumbled a little while dragging his little brother's body up the ladder.

Hearing the tone in his son's voice, Alan quickly rose from his chair and rushed outside.

"Donnie, what's wrong?!" Alan asked as he opened the screen door and went outside to see his eldest son dragging the limp form of his youngest son away from the pool.

Tears were running down Don's cheeks as he said, "It was an accident dad, I…I didn't mean to hurt him."

"Tell me what happened." Alan said as he knelt down next to Charlie.

"I…I…I hit a baseball really hard. It smacked Charlie in the head. He stumbled back then tumbled in to the pool." Don said slowly as he lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Donnie…I'm really disappointed in you." Alan said as he checked Charlie over.

Charlie was still breathing, but he was still unconscious.

Sniffling back his tears, Don watched as his father picked the still dripping form of his brother up off of the ground and carried him inside.


	2. Lights Out

When it Rains Chapter 2

Don sat bolt upright in his bed, his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

Charlie's lax features and his father's disappointed face slowly faded from view as the sound of raindrops hitting the window soon became apparent.

Sighing, Don put a hand to his chest as he forced himself to breathe slower as he mulled over his dream, which he guessed he could classify as a nightmare.

"What is God's name was that about?" Don mumbled to himself as he wiped the sweat beads off of his head and threw back the covers.

Slowly he stood up and made his way to the window which looked out of a small amount of the L.A. area.

Don blinked as he observed the raindrops that ran down the window to join the small flow that was flowing down in to the street.

Suddenly, Don knew why he had been awakened. It was raining like this when Charlie had woken up from the five day coma all those years ago.

He remembered everything. Alan rushing Charlie to the hospital, the doctor telling Alan and Margaret that Charlie would more than likely never wake up from the coma and the horrified look on his parent's faces when they had to digest that news.

Don had blamed and berated himself for hitting the baseball in Charlie's direction when his younger brother wasn't even prepared for it.

But now, all that was in the past.

Charlie was awake, quite grown up and was now a professor at the ever popular math community at Cal Sci.

So, why after 17 years did Don have another nightmare about that day?

He had finally gotten over it, or at least that's what he kept telling himself, but had he really?

Remembering the cold feeling of Charlie's skin had made Don swear off of baseball for the longest time, but it was actually Charlie that had caused Don to get 'back in the game'.

Don suppressed a smile as he turned from the window and made his way back to his bedroom.

The apartment was small and sometimes Don wished that he had never moved out of the Eppes house. Charlie had asked him to move back in a number of times, but Don had always declined, saying that if some bozo were to find out he was living there, then that creep would cause Charlie's world to be an absolute hell, and if that happened, Don would never forgive himself.

Glancing over at the clock, Don saw that it was 5:42 AM.

Moaning slightly Don turned from the now cold bed covers to his chest of drawers.

Opening up the second to top drawer, Don pulled out a tie before he went to the closet and opened it up.

Inside the closet there were at least 6 suits all hanging neatly on hangers.

Pulling one out, Don took the suit and tie in to the bathroom and hung them on the hook that was attached to the door.

Next Don turned to the tub and reaching in, turned the knobs and quickly got the water running.

Shrugging out of his sleepwear, Don stepped in to the shower and let the warm water wake him up.

After fifteen minutes of standing there under the spray of the hot water, Don turned it off and grabbed the towel which was curled up on the sink.

Quickly Don toweled himself off before getting dressed in the suit.

Once he was dressed, Don reached opened up the small medicine cabinet and withdrew his small black comb which he used to quickly comb out the knots and smooth down the clumps of damp hair.

Once that was done, Don then grabbed his toothbrush and brushed his pearly whites before grabbing his tie and fixing that up.

With a sigh, Don looked at his features in the mirror before he put the black comb back up and exited the bathroom.

Crossing back to his bedroom, he flicked on the light and went back to his chest of drawers and retrieved a pair of black socks.

As he was slipping in to them, the phone on his nightstand rung shrilly.

Rolling his eyes and cursing under his breath, Don finished putting on the one sock before putting the other one down and reaching for the phone.

Picking the phone up, Don put it to his ear and said, "Eppes," In a slightly annoyed tone of voice.

The line was open for several seconds, and all Don could hear was someone breathing deeply.

"Who is this?" Don demanded to know as he grabbed the other sock and put it on his foot.

The person on the other line continued to breathe, and then seconds later he said, "This is someone that's gonna make your life an absolute hell, Don Eppes."

"Who is this? Hello?" Don asked, but before he could get anything more from the man, the line went dead.

Don took the phone away from his ear and looked at it for several seconds before he placed it back on the hook and grabbed his shoes and slipped in to them.

After tying the laces, Don stood up and went to the small fire safe he had in the closet.

Grabbing the hidden key, Don put the key in the lock and turned it, effectively unlocking the safe.

Opening the lid, Don reached in and retrieved his gun and badge before relocking the safe and pocketing the key.

Turning, Don walked over to his little dresser and grabbed his wallet and car keys, before he turned and walked out of the room, and out of his apartment, locking the door behind him.

"_I'm your man if you want a good time; I'm your man without a doubt. Before the sun comes up, you'll know what I'm talkin' about."_

Charlie Eppes looked up from his place at the table where he was trying to grade papers, and focused his gaze on the little, black radio that was sitting in it's little nook right on the window sill.

His father had been listening to some local oldies station earlier, when Charlie had walked in to the kitchen.

After suffering through the evils of all of the 60's and 70's groups, Alan had switched the radio to a Country station, since he knew that Charlie could tolerate country more than the oldies.

"_I'm your man if you need a lover; I'm your man tonight's the night. Baby put your heart in my hands, cuz' I'm your man!"_

Sighing, Charlie stood up and crossed to the radio, intent on turning the dang thing off, when the radio announcer started speaking.

"_That was The Dukes of Hazzard star, John Schneider singing I'm Your Man. It's DJ Pierce and at the top of the hour we'll have some Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts for ya' on the twin spin weekend, but for right now we have John Schneider's Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way right here on 102.7 LAXO"_

When the music started, Charlie leaned against the fridge and listened to the song with interest.

He remembered when his mother had been alive. She had said that she loved that particular song so much, and she would always sing along whenever the radio station played it.

Smiling at the memory, Charlie allowed the radio station to finish with the song before he switched off the radio and returned to the table.

He never once looked up until a very loud rumble of thunder caused him to nearly jump out of his skin.

Putting a hand to his chest, Charlie forced himself to calm down.

'_It's only a little thunder, get a grip Charlie!'_ He thought as he picked up the pencil and began to look over the papers again, but no sooner had he gotten back to work, than the lights flickered and went out.

Looking up, Charlie waited and this time he could clearly hear the pounding of the rain on the roof.


	3. A wreck

A/N: Thanks for being so patient with me in waiting for the third chapter. Things have been real busy in my life, with getting contacts, so I had to wait a day or two to get used to them, but now I'm back to writing the third chapter. Also, thanks for the wonderful reviews. You guys are the greatest! And, just because you reviewed once or twice, please don't stop, keep reviewing the chapters as they come.

When it Rains Chapter 3

Don walked in to the FBI offices and quickly shook the droplets of rain off of his umbrella before folding it up.

As he wrapped up the umbrella, the phone call he had gotten only forty minutes ago kept ringing through his mind.

What did the man mean when he said 'absolute hell'? Was this day going to be more hellish than the past several days?

Don hoped not, but then again, hellish days were part of his job description, and it came with the territory of being an FBI Special Agent.

"Hey Don,"

Don turned to see David Sinclair and Colby walking hurriedly to meet him.

"Hey, what's up guys?" Don asked as he turned to face them.

Judging from the look on their faces, Don guessed that he now had a major problem on his hands that would more than likely cause him to be late for his father's famous rib-eye that he knew his father would be cooking later in the day.

"Don, it's Kareem. He's broken out of the federal prison." David said, handing Don the file they had on Kareem Mustafa.

"Aw man, not him." Don said with a small sigh as he took the file and glanced at it.

He remembered the case all to well.

Kareem was selling secrets to the terrorists in Iraq and was believed to have had a hand in the 9/11 bombs, along with the usual suspects.

Don had found, captured and arrested Kareem, and at his trial, Kareem had promised that one day he would be back to haunt Don for the rest of his life.

Don for his part had only looked at the guy and nodded his head ever so slightly as Kareem had been hauled away.

"He left this note in his cell." Colby said as he held up a small plastic, see through dust cover that contained a paper that had a lot of mathematical gibberish.

At least it was gibberish to Don, but he knew that his little brother Charlie could make something out of it.

"Well, I'll call Charlie, have him come down and take a look at it." Don said as he took the covered note and looked at it.

"Don, I already tried that. Phone lines are down in that area because of the storm." David said.

"Did you try his cell?" Don asked as he looked up from his scrutiny of the paper.

David opened his mouth, then closed it as he shook his head.

"Phone went haywire yesterday and I lost all of the cell phone numbers." He admitted as he looked down at the tiled floor of the office.

"Huh." Don said as he looked at David for a second before he reached to his side and withdrew his own cell phone and flicked it open.

As Don speed dialed his brother's number, Colby was looking at David with a weird look on his face.

"Uh haywire? That's quite an understatement buddy. I think the phone went more than haywire. I'd say it was completely fried." Colby said.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Colby." David said as he looked at his friend.

Colby shot David a look and said, "Then why'd I see you at Sprint Wireless with a burned out hulk of a cell phone the other day?" Colby asked.

David opened his mouth to answer but was saved from saying anything when Don started speaking.

"Hey Charlie, listen we have reason to believe that your number one American terrorist has escaped from prison… yeah him. He left a note with some mathematical equations in his cell. I need you to come over here and take a look at em'… alright, see ya soon, buddy." Don said, ending his conversation with his brother.

As he hung up his cell phone he turned to his team and said, "He'll be here in twenty minutes."

Nodding their heads, the three of them started the five minute walk to their office.

Charlie had jumped when his cell phone had rung, right out of the blue.

Flipping it out, Charlie had been slightly surprised to find out that the caller had been Don.

"Hello?" Charlie said in to the receiver.

"Hey Charlie, listen we have reason to believe that your number one American terrorist has escaped from prison." Don had said.

Charlie had groaned, sighed and closed his eyes as he thought back to the case involving one Kareem Mustafa.

"Kareem?" Charlie had said into the receiver.

"Yeah him. He left a note with some mathematical equations in his cell. I need you to come over here and take a look at em'." Don had said.

"Alright," Charlie said as he put two fingers on the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes again, "I'll be there twenty minutes, Don."

"Alright, see ya soon, buddy."

"Yeah, see you Don." Charlie had said before he hung up the phone.

Closing and then dropping his phone back in to his pocket, Charlie walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed his car keys.

By feel his selected the right key and headed out the door.

After shutting and locking the front door, Charlie turned and squinted as the rain came down, harder and harder it seemed.

Sighing, Charlie looked down and pressed the 'unlock' button twice, and with a smile forming on his face, Charlie watched as the lights on his mirror, and the headlights came on, signaling that the doors were now unlocked.

Steeling himself up, Charlie braced himself and then took off running towards his car.

No matter how fast he was, the raindrops were faster and by the time Charlie had wrenched open the car door, climbed in and shut the door, he found himself soaked to the bone.

"Note to self, go to Target and buy an umbrella." He muttered as he started the car and turned on the windshield wipers.

Once they were on, Charlie flicked on the heater and turned it up as high as it would go, before he put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway and on to the soaking wet street.

As Charlie sat in his car and waited for the light to change, his was tapping his index finger to the beat of the current song playing from a CD compilation that he had made a month before.

A smile came to his face when he heard his favorite part of the 1983 End Theme for the Dukes of Hazzard television show.

He guessed that since his parents had watched it for years, Charlie had grown to like it to.

Through all the reruns and seasons, Charlie had enjoyed the adventures of Bo and Luke, and Coy and Vance.

Watching that show was the one thing he loved to do with his parents. It was the one thing that made him relax and stop thinking about math. Plus it was the only show that could draw him out of his mental math bubble in which he'd immerse himself sometimes.

Now with his mother dead, Charlie had relied on that show more than he ever had, and it had kept him going for months, even though he had allowed his father and brother to think that he was retreating in to his bubble every chance he got, that was actually far from the truth.

Charlie was snapped out of his trance when the light changed green.

Putting pressure on the accelerator, Charlie eased the car in to the intersection before picking up speed.

Looking ahead, Charlie squinted as he passed a sign that read 'Broken Guard Rail Ahead.'

Not worrying about that, Charlie kept a slow, safe speed as he approached the broken guard rail, but he was not prepared for what was going to happen.

Almost as if in slow motion, the huge big Mack truck that was in front of him seemed to shimmy slightly as a huge piece of one of the tires came off and came flying out, right in front of Charlie's car!

Gasping, Charlie slammed on the brakes, but it was too late.

His wet front tire hit the piece of rubber, causing the steering wheel to jerk out of Charlie's hands.

Not having control of his car, Charlie could only sit there and panic as his car veered over to the broken guard rail, and crash right through what was left of it.


	4. Worried

When it Rains Chapter 4

Don was sitting at his desk staring at the big, huge file in his lap when he suddenly sighed and turned his right wrist towards him. It was the wrist that held the wristwatch that he had been glancing worriedly at for the past ten minutes.

Charlie was fifteen minutes late, and rain or no rain that was very unusual for Charlie. He was almost never late. If anything, he was early.

Taking out his cell phone, Don tried to reach his brother, but all he got was static.

"Something's wrong. I know it." Don muttered as he turned from his desk and glanced out at the rain soaked streets.

"Don, Charlie would call if he got in to trouble." Megan reminded her boss as she watched him glance out the window.

"Then why isn't he answering his cell phone? He always leaves it on!" Don questioned as he turned to Megan, who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe a cell tower is down." She guessed as she watched Don stand up and smooth down his damp shirt before he looked towards the elevators.

Not seeing Charlie, Don just shook his head and with determination written all over his face, he strode over to the coat rack that was hanging on the back of one of the far walls.

Quickly Don grabbed his still wet umbrella and snapped the little catch open before he turned to find Megan right behind him.

"If you're leaving to find Charlie, then I'm going to come with you." She said.

"Come on Megan, it's a family matter." Don replied as he looked at her for a second.

"Your point?" She asked before she reached over and grabbed her leather raincoat and slid in to it.

With a small smile threatening to grace his lips, Don waited for Megan to get her raincoat and umbrella before the two of them exited the offices and headed for the elevators.

_TAP TAP TAP TAP._

_KABOOM!_

_TAP TAPP TAP TAP_

Charlie opened his eyes and looked around without moving his head.

He was in his car. That much was obvious, from the smashed windshield and the smoke coming from under the hood.

Rain poured down on the car, and every few seconds lightning and thunder sounded overhead.

That was what had woken Charlie up in the first place.

Groaning, Charlie lifted his head off of the airbag and took a closer look at his car and himself.

The car was a total loss. There was no way that it could be repaired for a reasonable amount of money, not that Charlie ever wanted it repaired.

As Charlie looked the interior of the car over, he soon became acutely aware of the headache he was now sporting.

Raising a hand Charlie put it to his head, only to feel something sticky and warm coat his fingers.

Taking his hand away, Charlie glanced at his fingers, and his eyes went as white as saucers when he saw the blood.

Charlie's breathing quickened as he tried to wipe the blood off on the airbag, but all he did was smear the blood on the airbag and his fingers.

"Must…get…out." He mumbled to himself as he began to fumble around for the handle.

Locking his hand safely around the handle, Charlie pulled it and then threw all his body weight against the door.

Slowly at first, the door began to groan before it popped open, sending Charlie flying out to land in the dirty, muddy grass and dirt at the bottom of the bridge.

As carefully as he could, Charlie picked himself up and put a hand to his aching head.

"Dad…gotta…gotta get dad." Charlie mumbled before he turned and headed off into the woods, not knowing that he was actually heading away from his home and any hope of rescue before the storm ended.

A/N:

Merry Christmas everybody!


	5. Don Finds the Car

When it Rains Chapter 5

Don pulled out of the FBI parking lot and made a sharp left.

"If Charlie was coming in from home, he would have taken the direct route." Don said to Megan.

He knew he was stating the obvious, but he couldn't help it. It was something he had done when he was a kid, and he had never broken the habit.

"Don, the direct route from here to Charlie's house is under 6 feet of water. He would have had to take the scenic route." Megan reminded him. She, for one, had been keeping tabs on the weather reports, and which roads were still clear, and which ones were now buried underwater.

Don nodded his head and changed lanes before making a right turn.

He shook his head slightly and inwardly thought, _'Man, I hope Charlie's ok. Dad'll kill me if Charlie's seriously hurt.'_

He pulled turned on to another street and nearly lost control of the vehicle when his front right tire hit a small wall of water that was directly beside the curb.

The steering wheel vibrated in Don's hands and seemed to want to jerk to the right, which was straight towards the curb, but Don locked his fingers around the steering wheel and took his foot off of the accelerator, affectively slowing them down long enough so that he didn't lose control.

After hydroplaning to a stop, Don looked over at Megan who had one hand gripping the seat, and the other hand gripping the handle on the door.

"You alright?" Don asked as he took in Megan's white appearance.

"Yeah…fine." She replied before she shot Don a look that made Don smile and nearly chuckle.

If the consequences hadn't been so dire, he would have laughed hysterically at Megan's face, but with the thought of Charlie's life hanging in the balance, Don didn't afford himself the luxury of laughing at something as trivial as scaring Megan out of ten years of her life.

Sighing, Don gripped the wheel and carefully eased the 4 wheel drive truck away from the curve and down the road.

"Let's try the country roads. They may be clear." Megan said, gesturing off in the direction of the afore mentioned roads.

The roads were dubbed the 'country roads' because it was a small stretch of roadway that had no buildings, and only grass and white picket fences for several miles. Many tourists and residents of L.A. liked to travel that little stretch of road every once in a while to get a taste of what life was like further in the states.

Nodding his head, Don slowed the truck down and executed the turn gracefully, and soon the buildings disappeared and the soaking wet grass of the lonely 'country roads' was seen.

"Keep your eyes off to the side. Maybe he had a wreck, or he might have been swept off the road." Don said as he glanced over to the left side of the road.

Megan nodded her head as she directed her gaze over to the right side of the road.

"What's Charlie driving these days? I heard he got a new car, but I have never gotten the chance to see it." She said.

"Silver Chevy Impala. He only got it three weeks ago." Don replied crisply as he continued to drive down the road.

His brother's face when Charlie had first come home with the new car, entered in to Don's thoughts for a minute.

When Charlie had taken him and their father outside to admire the new car, Don's jaw had literally dropped at the condition of the Impala.

Charlie had said that it had been a rental car which had been rarely used, and that he had gotten it for a song. After taking a look at the miles on the car, Don had believed his brother.

"Chevy Impala. Those are good cars. Very reliable." Megan said with a smile on her face as she kept studying the road in front of her.

Don shot her a look before he turned a curve.

Up ahead was an old bridge with a broken guard rail.

Last time Don had driven down this road, he had noticed the guard rail had orange cones around it and the 'Broken Guard Rail' sign up, but now the cones were gone and the guard rail was still broken.

Looking down at the road, Don noticed skid marks that looked _very_ fresh.

Getting a feeling in the pit of his stomach, Don carefully slowed and pulled the truck off to the side of the road.

Not even bothering to grab his umbrella, Don just jumped out of the truck and ran across the road, over to the broken guard rail.

Squinting through the rain, Don saw what looked like a silver car resting at the bottom of the bridge, with smoke still pouring out from under the hood.

Wiping the rain water out of his eyes, Don looked and quickly read the license plate number, which sent the feeling in the pit of his stomach, to full fledged worry.

"CHARLIE!"

Now with fear running through his veins, Don acted without thinking.

As quickly as he could, he ran over to the edge of the guard rail and half slipped, half jogged down the embankment all the way to the bottom.

"CHARLIE!" Don yelled again as he ran over to the car and yanked open the door only to discover that his little brother Charlie was not there.

When Don saw the blood covered airbag and seat, he sank to his knees in shock.

"Charlie…no…" He muttered as his eyes remained fixated on the blood. Blood that could have only come from his little brother.

Forcing himself to try and remain calm, Don raised his eyes and saw a little piece of notebook paper lying on the passenger seat.

Reaching in, Don took the paper and yanked it out.

Looking down, Don read the words that were written on the paper.

'_Eppes, by now you should already know who I am, so you should also know what I'm capable of._

'_Right now, I have your little brother in my grasp, and there he's gonna stay till I think you have suffered enough. When that time comes, if your precious brother's still alive, I'll think about turnin' him over to you._

'_Told you I'd make your life a living hell, didn't I Eppes? Well, by now you should know that I always keep my promises._

_See you soon,_

_Kareem'_

With anger building in himself, Don started to visably shake with rage.

How dare someone thought that they could mess with his brother! The only person that could mess, pick, or make fun of Charlie, was Don, and that was it…period!

Don would not suffer Megan, David, Colby, or even Charlie's close friends Larry and Amita to pick on his little brother without him jumping down their throats.

Of course, Don highly doubted that they would do that to Charlie, but who knows…!

"Kareem, you just made one costly mistake. If you have so much as harmed one strand of hair on my brother, I swear that I'm gonna hunt you down and kill you." Don muttered.

Deep down he knew that he was supposed to be impassive and calm on cases such as this, but this was Charlie we're talking about, not some mindless person who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. No, this was a part of Don's family, and if you mess with Don's family, be prepared to get your hand or head bitten off…hard!

Rising, Don turned and made his way back up the embankment to where Megan was standing.

"Did you..?" Megan asked, but Don just walked past her, heading towards the truck.

"Charlie's been kidnapped by Kareem Mustafa." Don said once he had yanked open the truck's driver side door.

"Why? What point could Kareem make by kidnapping Charlie?" Megan asked as she too, climbed in the truck and buckled her seat belt.

"To prove to me that he can reach anyone that's important to me. Even members of my family." Don muttered as he pulled back on to the road.

As Megan sat back in her seat she asked, "Where to now?"

"The office. We're gonna have to track down Kareem's friends. See if they know where his hideout is." Don replied as he carefully headed back in to town.


	6. Charlie and Kareem

When it Rains Chapter 6

In a basement some 50 miles away from the accident, Charlie Eppes groaned and opened his eyes, or at least he swore he did. Everything around him was dark, there was no light shining everywhere.

Slowly he put a hand to his aching head and felt a soft cloth type bandage hastily tied around his head. Feeling his way around the bandage, Charlie stopped when he felt the dry crusty feeling of drying blood, and then he knew that his accident had been real.

"I feel like I got run over by a ten ton truck." He muttered as he tried to look around the room, but since there was no light, he couldn't see anything.

'_Ok, Don't panic Charlie, try not think about how and why you are here in this dark hole in the ground. Just try and remain calm.'_ He thought to himself.

Slowly after feeling the floor around him, Charlie felt sure enough to get to his feet in the hopes that his vision might improve so that he could at least see something.

"Well, well…Math geek is awake."

Charlie jumped and whirled around to the stairs that suddenly appeared, thanks to the now shining overhead light.

On the top of the stairs, walking slowly down them, was Kareem, with a wicked smile on his face.

Charlie stood his ground, fixing Kareem with a neutral glare, just like Don had shown him. _'Never let your enemy know that you're afraid. That will give them power over you.' _Charlie thought as he kept his gaze focused on Kareem.

"How's your head, geek? Poundin' I bet. Here, take some Aspirin." Kareem said, throwing a bottle of Advil right at Charlie's torso. The bottle of Advil bounced off of Charlie's clothes and fell to the ground with a slight clatter.

"You caused it, didn't you?" Charlie asked, after the bottle had come to a full and complete stop.

"What? Your accident? No, you were just a victim of circumstance on that one. Oh sure I was plannin' on nabbin' you before you got to the office, but when I saw your car go over the guard rail, I just couldn't help myself." Kareem replied as he stepped off the stairs and walked over to Charlie.

"You're very trusting." Charlie noted, with a slight quiver running through his voice.

"How's that? You mean trusting that I know you won't jump me, knock me out and run through that door to freedom? Even if you somehow manage to get past me, I have mini guns and rocket launchers stationed all over this compound. They are programmed to shoot on sight." Kareem said with a little glee.

Charlie gulped. He was never a fan of guns. The only time he had handled a gun was on the sniper case, and even then his big brother Don had been very reluctant. Charlie had almost had to go on his knees and beg his brother for Don to even take him to the gun range.

But, all that was in the past, Charlie was facing the here and now.

"Now, if you're a good boy you won't get hurt. But, if you do something stupid, like try to run, I'm going to have to punish you." Kareem said icily.

Charlie just stood his ground, not giving Kareem the satisfaction of seeing Charlie shiver with fear.

"When Don get's here he's gonna.." Charlie began, but Kareem stopped with his a chuckle and a shake of his head.

"When Special Agent Eppes gets here, and he will, I have no doubt of that. When he gets here he's going to find one of two things. He's either going to find us both dead, or he's going to find you alive and me gone. Of course that all depends on you." Kareem said.

"Me?"

"Yes, you and what you're gonna do over the next several days." Kareem said.

As Kareem circled around Charlie, he continued to speak.

"Oh, don't play coy, Charlie. I know that look in your eyes. You're already thinking of a mathematically possible way to escape from here, but that's not going to happen…is it?" Kareem asked as he took out a knife and held it to Charlie's throat.

Charlie stood stock still as he felt the knife start to cut in to his throat.

"Is it?" Kareem asked again as he deliberately put more pressure on the blade, causing Charlie to grimace in pain as a tiny speck of blood appeared.

"No." Charlie managed to gasp out, and as soon as he said that, the knife was taken away and slid back into its holster.

"Good, and just to make sure you don't try something foolish.." Kareem said as he went behind a crate, bent down and retrieved something, before walking back over to Charlie.

"I really hate to do this to you, but I have to." Kareem said sarcastically as he opened the police issue handcuffs and effectively secured Charlie's hands behind him before he led Charlie over to a chair and pushed him in to it, before quickly tying Charlie's feet together.

Once Charlie was secured to the chair, Kareem stood up and admired his handiwork.

"I always knew there was a reason I kept watching _Dennis the Menace._" He said with a smile.

"That kid sure knows some tricks about knots."

With a smile on his face, Kareem reached over and picked up a big role of black duct tape and removed a portion of it, before putting it over Charlie's mouth.

Not satisfied with the fit, Kareem tore off an even bigger portion and this time wrapped that around Charlie's whole face so that the whole lower portion of his face was secured in duct tape.

Charlie glared hatefully at Kareem as the 24 year old American terrorist turned and headed back up the stairs.


	7. The Interrigation

When it Rains Chapter 7

Don was visibly shaking as Megan and Colby questioned another one of Kareem's friends that they had 'borrowed' from the penitentiary.

No one was talking, and Don had a feeling that they were running out of time.

Grumbling, Don moved away from the clear pane of glass and walked over to the window that looked out on to the parking lot.

The rain had finally stopped, but the clouds were still hanging around, and the weatherman was forecasting another round with the rain.

Images began to flash through Don's mind.

Images of Kareem and the night when Don had arrested the creep at his compound.

Getting in to that place hadn't been easy with Kareem's hired guns, who had just happened to have several flamethrowers with them.

That night Don had had to rely heavily on the snipers to make sure that it was safe to enter the compound, but once he had gotten inside, it was fairly easy to nab and arrest Kareem.

Sighing, Don turned back to the interrogation room as Megan and Colby exited the room looking tired and drawn.

"He isn't talking, but I think he knows something." Colby said as he folded his arms and stood by Don's side.

"So do I. Just that 'I've got all the cards' look in his eyes. I think he knows the stakes Don. He knows where Charlie is, but he's not talking." Megan said.

"Give me ten minutes in there…I'll make him talk!" Don said, flexing and popping his fingers, giving the impression that he was going to cause bodily harm to the man in the interrogation room.

"Don, you know you can't do that. Director Merrick is being very lenient letting you even work this case, considering that it's your brother we're trying to rescue." Megan said.

"So what are you saying?" Don asked, turning to her with an icy look in his eyes.

"Let us handle it. If you try something foolish, Director Merrick is just going to pull you from the case." Megan replied.

Sighing, Don reined his emotions in, and nodded his head.

"I'm tired of sitting here just doing nothing. My brother is out there somewhere…..you understand…?" Don began, but Megan interrupted him by looking at him with compassion.

"I understand that you're worried about Charlie. We all are Don. We want to see Charlie safe and sound, but beating that man up isn't going to help Charlie." Megan said.

"It'll get him back quicker!" Don shot back.

"You don't know that. It might make his situation worse." Megan said.

Deep inside, Don knew that Megan was right, but Don needed to feel that he was helping to bring his brother back, and sitting around the office, doing nothing was not helping to accomplish that goal.

Suddenly Don stood up straighter, an idea forming in his head.

"I know that look in your eye Don. What're you planning?" David asked as he rounded the corner, a file of Kareem in his hands.

"We are going to do a little shuck 'n' jive." Don said, using a little vocabulary from The Dukes of Hazzard.

Megan, David and Colby looked at their boss as if he had finally lost his mind, but Don just smiled, that is until he saw their faces.

"Shuck 'n' jive? When'd you turn country on us, Don?" Colby asked, clearly confused.

"It's from many years of suffering through the Dukes of Hazzard reruns time and again. It was my parents and Charlie's favorite show, so naturally I had to watch it." Don explained, before beginning to explain his plan.

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As a group, Don, Megan and Colby entered the interrogation room where Kareem's friend Julian R. Burns sat in one of the three uncomfortable chairs in the room.

"Ok Julian..you have one more chance to talk." Megan said as she sat down on the table and crossed her arms.

"Nothin' doin' Agent." Julian replied smugly before he tore his gaze away from Megan and fixed it on the table.

"Well…I for am I glad he didn't tell us anything. We got a lot more information from his good buddy Danny." Colby said, beginning to set the bait in their little trap.

"Yeah, he told us almost everything we needed to know. Course he's going to be released for helping us out." Megan said.

That got Julian's attention.

"What? Released? What're you talkin' about?"

"Oh, didn't you hear? The first person that cooperates on this case gets released. But, since you didn't work with us, I guess you're just going to have to get comfortable in that little jail cell of yours," Don began, "Unless there's something you'd like to tell us, such as the location of Professer Eppes."

"What's in it for me? Would I get released?" Julian asked.

"If you tell me in the next several minutes, I think I can arrange that." Don lied.

After hearing that, Julian said, "He's at Kareem's ol' compound."

Don smiled and nodded his head, surprised and happy that his little scam had worked.

"Thanks, you've been very helpful." He said happily.

"Does this mean I get released now?" Julian asked hopefully, looking from agent to agent.

"Jewel's..all I can say is..you got played buddy." Colby said with a sarcastic pat on Julian's shoulder before he, Don and Megan walked out of the room, leaving Julian paling in the interrogation room.

**A/N: Thanks for the great reviews so far. You all have given me a lot of encouragement! I estimate 3 to 5 chapters more. I know Don finding Charlie's location was rather quick, but believe me, that's only the first hurdle.**

**Keep reviewing the upcoming chapters and thanks again for the reviews already posted. You guys are the best!**


	8. Charlie loses faith in Don

When it Rains Chapter 8

Charlie sat in the chair, staring at the floor. He kept listening intently, hoping to hear the words 'FBI' echoing throughout the room any minute. However, every second that went by caused his hopes to dwindle.

He believed that Don would come, but would Don get there in time? Kareem's words to Charlie certainly implied that he had no wish to hurt the young math professor, but Charlie also knew that Kareem was 'three fries short of a happy meal' in the brains department.

Sighing inwardly, Charlie thought back to the baseball incident 21 years ago. At least it was 21 years for him, but only 17 years for Don.

Charlie knew that he and Don had never really connected when they were kids, but Charlie really never understood why.

He was always more comfortable working math than playing sports, of course with Don it was the other way around.

Charlie really had no problem being around his older brother, despite the constant name calling and verbal and physical shoving by Don.

Charlie loved it. Being around Don was something that he enjoyed. He only wished that Don enjoyed hanging around his little brother, but that never happened. As long as Charlie was the big math genius, Don couldn't accept hanging in Charlie's shadow, so he kept pushing his little brother away.

After several years Charlie began to accept what Don was trying to tell him.

And that incident with the baseball hitting Charlie's head and knocking him unconscious only seemed to enforce what Don had told him when he had woken up from the five day coma.

_Flashback_

_Beep…Beep…Beep._

"_Well, I'm gonna go get some coffee. You two want anything?"_

"_No honey, I don't want anything, but, I think I will go for a walk. I can't stand watching our son so still like this any longer."_

_Charlie kept his eyes closed and his breathing even as he listened to his father leave the room for the coffee and his mother leave the room to go for a walk._

_Thinking he was alone, Charlie thought about opening his eyes, but he stopped and somehow kept from jumping when he heard his big brother sigh and get up._

_Hoping that Don was leaving, Charlie listened intently, but inwardly cringed when he 'felt' Don's shadow fall over him, and when he heard the whoosh of the seat as Don sat in the chair that his mother had vacated._

"_God Charlie. You always have to make a show out of everything don't you? I mean, that doctor guy said that the knock from the baseball only left you with a slight concussion, but here you are…five days later…still sacked out! Of course, bet you're enjoying having mom and dad fawn over you like you were the dang Prince of England!_

"_You know what I wish Charlie? I wish that you had drowned in that swimming pool! I would have been so happy if that had happened! But, I guess I have myself to blame for that. I had to be a hero and pull you out. Man, I'm really regretting that now." Don said vehemently._

_Charlie forced himself to keep his breathing and emotions under control. It wouldn't do to break down in front of his brother and let Don know that he had heard every hateful word that he had said._

"_Can't wait till I'm old enough to move out..so I can be free of you! When I move, you can be sure that I'm never comin' back. You want to know why? It's cuz I hate you. I resent the fact that you're my brother..in fact I think we'd all be so much happier if you had never been born!" Don said with an angry sneer to his voice before he got up from the chair and left the room._

_Once Charlie heard the door close, he allowed himself to open his eyes and focus on the closed hospital door as a lone tear streaked down his face._

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'_Don hates me. That was the case back then..but what about now? Surely he doesn't think that way now.'_ Charlie thought as he raised his head towards the darkened stairs of the basement.

'_But what if he does? What if he intends to leave you here at the mercy of this maniac?' _A voice in his head asked him.

Charlie's jaw quivered with fear and sadness at this prospect. Could his brother still hate and resent him, and could the last 2 years of their repaired friendship be just a ploy to make their father happy?

'_Then I am truly alone. Don's not going to come, and even if he does he's going to blame me for what happened.' _Charlie thought as the emotions of that night when his brother Don had really crushed his soul, came roaring back with a vengeance.

Tear after salty tear poured forth from Charlie's eyes, running down the duct tape to land and absorb in to Charlie's short sleeved, white and blue striped shirt.

"Awww..what's the tears for Charlie?" Kareem asked as he came down the stairs and flicked on the lights.

Raising his tear stained eyes to look at Kareem, Charlie finally looked like the scared human being he was.

"Thinkin' your brother's not going to come for you?" Kareem asked as he leaned against a support beam in the basement.

Charlie didn't shake his head or nod it for that matter, but Kareem saw the answer in his eyes.

Slowly the American terrorist nodded his head and reached into a back pocket. Carefully he removed the small black case and laid it on a small school desk that stood a little ways away.

"I know how it feels to be unwanted. Believe me, I was unwanted all of my youth. That is until I found a way to channel my anger. I found a way to make people listen. I know what happened between you and your brother when you were in the hospital. I know how much Don's words affected you." Kareem said.

Charlie's eyes widened at this revelation. How could Kareem know what Don had said to him? Was it a lie? A ploy to get Charlie to confide in or, God forbid, start to like and help Kareem?

Straightening up, Kareem took a small pocket knife out of his pocket, opened up the blade and cut away the duct tape that was around Charlie's mouth, leaving only the small piece on Charlie's lips.

Turning, Kareem went up the stairs, only to return moments later with a cloth and a bowl full of boiling hot water. Dipping the cloth in the boiling hot water, Kareem waited several minutes before taking the cloth out and dipping it in some ice cubes, before applying the now warm/hot cloth to the duct tape.

After several applications of the water, Kareem gripped the edges of the tape and slowly peeled it off of Charlie's lips.

Licking his dry lips, Charlie then ventured to ask, "Why?"

"Why what?" Kareem asked in return as he put the cloth down and looked at his captive.

"Why did you remove the duct tape? Why are you suddenly being nice to me?" Charlie asked.

"Because I know how much you're suffering."

Charlie was not prepared for this reply, and could only open and shut his mouth as an answer.

"I want to help you Charlie. At first, when I first found out about you I didn't see how poorly your brother had treated you. All I saw was a way to get revenge against your brother, but now after I have found out the truth about you, I see that we are very much alike." Kareem said.

"We are nothing alike. You are a terrorist who sold out his country and helped plan out the 9/11 bombings on the World Trade Center." Charlie said.

"Yes, I did that. But I only did it to get peoples attention…to make them listen! To make them see that I wasn't the stupid jerk whom you can just forget about!" Kareem replied compassionately as he focused a cool, calm gaze on his captive.

"And, I want to offer you that same chance." Kareem said kindly.

"No. I will not sell out my country!" Charlie replied defiantly as he raised his head slightly.

"I wasn't asking you too Charlie. I just thought that you'd like a chance to get back at your brother for the hurt he put you through 21 years ago." Kareem said.

Charlie shook his head, not believing that Kareem was suggesting.

"Don and I are friends, Kareem!" Charlie said.

"Are you sure? How do you know that he won't just betray you? Wad you up and throw you away like the evening trash? How can you promise that he won't do that after he has already done it once?" Kareem asked.

Charlie didn't say anything, already knowing that what Kareem said was probably true.

"I know that you're still in pain Charlie. I can help take that pain away. I can help to make your brother pay for it." Kareem said.

"How?" Charlie asked suspiciously. Never taking his eyes off of Kareem, Charlie watched as Kareem walked over to the black case, grabbed it and brought it over to Charlie before he opened it.

Inside the case was one lone syringe completely filled with a greenish looking liquid.

"I don't do drugs." Charlie said.

"This isn't that type of drug Charlie. It doesn't do stuff to your mind or get you high." Kareem said.

"Then what does it do? How can it possibly make Don pay?" Charlie asked, truly curious about the stuff that was in the syringe.

"It'll make him pay with guilt. Guilt that it was he that got his little brother in this predicament. And that he wasn't able to save his little brother…not that he was even going too." Kareem said.

Looking at Charlie's face, Kareem could see that Charlie wasn't really convinced, so he wheeled in a tv set and turned it on.

"You still not convinced that your brother doesn't really care for you? Watch this." Kareem said before he hit the Play button.

Charlie was then shown video clips of Don at the office, and then at home and then at a bar hanging out with friends. However, the clips were from months of surveillance and the dates shown on the tape were fabricated.

"You see now Charlie? At this very minute Don isn't out there searching for you. He's at home enjoying a nice pot roast with your father and his friends from the office." Kareem said, trying to drive a wedge between Don and Charlie.

"You're lying..!" Charlie said as his breathing started to quicken as he began to fear that what Kareem was telling him was the truth.

"There's only one way to make Don see his mistake Charlie." Kareem said, holding up the case with the syringe.

Finally, Charlie really looked at the syringe as the tears of his hurt began to flow again.

Hurt that had been building up in him ever since that night in the hospital.

Slowly, with a trembling jaw, Charlie said, "Ok…d..do it."

Nodding his head, Kareem took the needle, and squeezed it a little to get all of the air out. Carefully he watched as a little came out of the tip.

Glancing over at Charlie, Kareem came and stood right beside Charlie.

Bending over, Kareem put one arm on Charlie's head and tilted it to the side so he could see Charlie's neck.

Reaching in, Kareem stuck the syringe in to Charlie's neck and depressed the plunger, sending the greenish looking liquid in to Charlie's bloodstream.

Once he was done, Kareem withdrew the needle, stuck it back in the case and put the case back in his pocket.

Glancing back at Charlie, he saw that the tears were still flowing down his young face.

"In a few minutes you're going to feel sleepy. Don't fight the drug Charlie…it's only going to make things worse for you." Kareem said.

"O..k." Charlie replied through the tears he was trying to keep at bay.

Nodding his head, Kareem turned and went back up the stairs, this time leaving the lights in the basement on.

Glancing at the wall upstairs, he estimated that Don Eppes and his little crew of 'commandoes' would arrive in five minutes, but to Kareem's watch, that was going to be five minutes to late, because the poison he had given Charlie was very quick and more than likely by the time Don got to his little brother, he would just be in time to witness Charlie's final moments.


	9. Finding Charlie

When it Rains Chapter 9

Don chewed the chewing gum with a vengeance as he looked at the compound through a set of FBI issue binoculars.

Everything inside the small compound looked quiet, but if there was one thing that Don learned through years of working with the FBI, was that looks can and most likely were deceiving.

Lowering his binoculars, Don turned to Megan, David and Colby who were both suited in Kevlar and had their guns at the ready.

"Alright we go in fast, and we go in hard. Remember, this is Kareem we're dealing with, so don't hesitate to kill." Don reminded the group, who nodded back.

Making sure that everyone understood the stakes, Don nodded at Megan who then straightened up a little and addressed the group.

"Alright, a preliminary sweep shows rocket launchers on all corners of the compound. Our main goal is to take those out before we enter at this point." She began, pointing to a spot on the map where FBI units were setting up to blow a hole through the compound wall.

"Remember, once inside, our main goal is to find Charlie and get him out unharmed." Megan said.

At this everyone nodded and then brandished their weapons, ready for the fun to begin.

"Alright everyone, watch your line." Don said as he and his team got in to position behind a make shift barrier, just incase some pieces of debris were to fly out in their direction.

"Everyone ready?" Don asked, speaking through the radio system as he looked at everyone, waiting for their confirmation.

Receiving nodding heads, Don waited for the channel to clear before he said, "Go on 3. 3..2..1..Execute, execute, execute!"

At those words the units they had in place fired blast upon blast at the rocket launchers, causing them to explode, while at the same time the bombs they had secured to the compound wall went off with a flourish, sending bits of the wall everywhere.

"LETS MOVE!" Don shouted as he rose up with his gun drawn and ran towards the hole in the wall, with his team close behind him.

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Charlie lay slumped in the chair feeling like a complete fool as he felt the drug begin to overpower his organs.

'_Should have realized that Kareem was just playing with my emotions. He was trying to trick me…and I fell for it. God, I really am that gullible.'_ Charlie thought sadly as he kept trying to resist what the drug was doing to him.

"Don..sorry..so sorry. Should have..believed…in you." Charlie murmured through numbing lips as he lost the battle with his strength. His head that he had tried to keep raised fell against his chest.

Charlie coughed, trying to draw more oxygen in to his lungs as he fought vainly to keep awake.

Finally having nothing else to do, Charlie resorted to numbers, by running through some permutations in his head and focusing only on that.

KABOOM!

"FBI! FBI! PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD! GET EM' UP!"

Charlie opened his eyes, though the world around him was fuzzy and growing dark.

"D..on?" He whispered, hoping against hope that what he had just heard was his brother coming for him, and not his imagination.

"Where is he? WHERE IS HE?!" A voice roared upstairs.

That voice, so familiar that it made Charlie smile despite the fact that he knew he was dying because of his own foolishness.

Charlie guessed that Kareem must have said something, because no more than ten seconds later the door to the basement was kicked open and the sound of running feet was heard on the stairs.

"CHARLIE! Oh my God, what did he do to you?" Don asked when he finally saw his brother looking so weak and near death, the ropes and handcuffs being the only thing keeping Charlie upright.

Rushing over to Charlie, Don looked down, quickly taking in his brother's pale figure.

"Charlie!" Don said desperately as he tried to get his brother to open his eyes.

"D..don?" Charlie whispered as he somehow managed to open his heavy eyelids.

"Yeah buddy, I'm here." Don said as he forced a smile on to his face.

Don barely even noticed as Colby came over with a pair of bolt cutters and quickly removed Charlie's handcuffs, while David, with the aid of a pocket knife, quickly cut away the rope trapping Charlie's feet.

"Charlie hang in there buddy…we're going to get you to a hospital." Don said as he and David eased Charlie to the floor.

"Sorry..I…didn't believe….should…trust…in..you." Charlie murmured, trying to get his point across to his big brother before his time ran out.

"Charlie, you're going to be alright…you hear me? You're going to be alright." Don said, trying to be reassuring, when he was in a full out panic emotionally.

It was scary beyond all reason to see his brother looking so weak and acting like he was dying. Don was not prepared to see something like that, especially when the victim was his own brother!

"Don, ambulance is on the way." Megan said from the stairs.

Quickly Don nodded, never taking his gaze off of his brother.

"Charlie, hang in there." Don practically begged as he put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Charlie by this time had one foot in the morgue already. He was so weak and tired that he couldn't move any of his limbs and his only means of communication would soon be cut off as well.

His mind for the most part was still strong where math was concerned, but Charlie wasn't focused on math. In his mind he was that little boy, having listened to his brother rant and rave and say that he hated his little brother.

"Why…hate…me?" Charlie asked as he tried to get his brother to respond.

Don scrunched up his eyebrows and leaned in closer so he could understand what Charlie was saying.

"Why…hate..me? Love…y…Donnie." Charlie mumbled.

His thoughts were clearly out of whack, but for some strange reason Don could understand what Charlie was talking about.

He had had the same dreams, the same nightmares, and at that moment, Don finally understood why. Don had never gotten over it and apparently neither had Charlie.

For Don he was still blaming his brother for not being a normal kid. For being to smart and having to show it off.

For Charlie, he was still hurt and confused over his brother's words, but Charlie had kept that hurt bottled up inside, never telling anyone, even his parents, what Don had said to him that day. And right now that hurt was flowing out of Charlie, because he had finally lost the ability to contain and control it.

"Oh Charlie, I didn't know what I was thinking. I don't hate you man. I don't. Far from it, buddy! In fact, I love you Charlie…you hear me..I love you buddy." Don said, pleading with his brother in the hopes that somehow Charlie could hear and understand his brother.

Reaching out with a gloved hand, Don grasped Charlie cool, pale hand and squeezed it gently.

"I love you Charlie. I don't know what the heck I'd do if something were to happen to you. Please buddy..you have got to hang on." Don begged as a few tears slipped down his face.

Don didn't care that he was crying in front of his team, all he cared about was the limp form in front of him.

Movement out of the corner of his eye made Don turn his head in time to see two ambulance attendants hurriedly drag a stretcher over to his position.

Rising, Don watched as the ambulance attendants strapped Charlie to the stretcher before moving him towards the stairs.

"Don, you ride with them, I'll make sure your father is taken to the hospital." Megan said, touching Don's arm as he walked past.

Nodding his head, Don quickly followed the ambulance attendants over to the ambulance.

Like a well oiled machine, the attendants placed Charlie in the back of the ambulance before they began to stick him full of IV's and hooked him up to a few monitors.

After a few minutes one of the ambulance attendants said, "Alright lets go. He's stable for now but if he goes in to V-Fib we're going to need those paddles, pronto."

Don watched as one of the attendants leapt out of the back and rushed to the drivers side door while the other attendant began to close the back doors.

Before the last door was closed, Don grabbed the door, jumped into the back and then shut the door.

"I'm his brother, and I'm riding in with him." Don said in a tone of voice that brooked no argument. Especially when the ambulance attendant saw the FBI patch on Don's sleeve.

With a nod of his head, the attendant went back to monitoring Charlie's vitals as the ambulance started its journey to the hospital.


	10. I forgive you

When it Rains Chapter 10

Don sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair watching his brother. He had never left Charlie's side from the instant the doctor had come and told him and his father how close Charlie had actually come to dying.

He remembered first stepping in to the room and gasping at Charlie's deathly ill features. Almost immediately Don had found himself by his brother's side, fighting the tears that threatened to come.

That had been five days ago, almost to the minute, and Charlie still showed no sign of waking up.

Tearing his gaze away from his brother, Don looked over at his father, who was snoozing away in the other hospital chair.

A blanket was draped around his form and a pillow was tucked up under his head, courtesy of a passing nurse during the previous night.

Sighing softly, Don sniffled a little before he turned his attention back to Charlie.

"I know what you must be thinking, Charlie. That I hate you, but buddy, I don't. Believe me, I don't. When I said that to you I was just mad, jealous and tired of being in your shadow. Tired of being known as 'Charlie's brother'. But now that the years have passed, and I've lived my own life, I have come to realize that I had nothing to be jealous about.

"In fact, I have every reason to be proud of you, because you have helped me through many difficult times, and all I did to thank you for it was bite your head off. But..no more buddy. We're a family, and I think it's time that I started acting like it. I know that it'll be hard to forgive and forget the past, but I hope that we can finally start to get over it." Don whispered softly to his little brother as he continued to hold on to the lax hand.

Gazing down at the fine fingers that were usually moving non stop, gave Don pause, because they were so still..so lax.

"You just gotta wake up buddy." Don begged as he closed his eyes, bowed his head and allowed a few tears to fall on to his brother's hand.

While Don's head was bowed, he missed the flinch of Charlie's eyelids as Don's tears hit Charlie's hand. Slowly, Charlie opened his eyes and looked over at his brother with compassion written all over his face.

Opening his mouth, Charlie said just four words. "I forgive you, Donnie."

Quickly Don's head shot up and his mouth dropped open in shock at seeing his little brother awake.

"Charlie..? Charlie!" Don said as he leaned over and carefully hugged his brother.

At hearing Don's exclamation, Alan Eppes awoke, dropped the pillow and rushed over to Charlie's side when he saw Charlie's calm, brown eyes looking back at him.

"Oh my son..Charlie." Alan said as he took his son in his arms and hugged him for all he was worth.

While this was going on, Don was just sitting in the chair smiling.

Charlie was back. His little brother was back. But more importantly, Don had been forgiven. At that was something he was always going to cherish.

"Oh Charlie, you had no idea how worried we all were." Alan said.

"I know dad. I saw you and Donnie crying. That's why I came back. I can't stand to see two grown men crying." Charlie said with a slight chuckle.

Alan and Don joined in and soon all three Eppes men were enjoying a good laugh.

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Slowly one week passed since Charlie had first been admitted. And slowly Charlie's vitals went back to normal. Doctors kept coming in to check up on him, and every time Charlie would start to complain.

Finally, though, he was allowed to go back home.

As the car pulled to a stop outside the house, Don leapt out of the front seat, went around to the back, popped the trunk, pulled out the wheelchair and opened it up while Alan went around to the other side and opened the backseat door.

"Um, you know I can walk." Charlie said, looking at the wheelchair with disgust.

"We know you can walk, but the doctor said you need to stay off of your feet for the next several days." Don replied as he, with the help of his father, settled Charlie in to the wheelchair.

"But I..!"

"No buts Charlie!" Don shot back, giving his brother a stern glare which made Charlie shut up.

Straitening, Don and Alan shared a look before they pushed Charlie towards the house.

As they got closer towards the house, Don began to wonder just how Charlie was going to take the sudden set of events that would happen within the next ten seconds.

First Alan got the door and held it open while Don pushed his brother into the darkened house.

Not two seconds later the lights came on and the loud exclamation, "WELCOME HOME, CHARLIE!" rang throughout the house.

Charlie paled considerably as his heart rate increased, but when he saw who all was there, he forced himself to calm down.

In the living room, with smiles on all their faces, stood Megan, David, Colby, Larry and Amita.

"It's great to see you out of the hospital, Charlie." Amita said as she walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yeah Charlie. We were all beginning to wonder if you were going to take up permanent residence in that place." Colby joked.

"After spending three days there, I was ready to come home." Charlie replied truthfully as he was wheeled into the living room and helped on to the couch.

While everyone took up chairs and began to talk about this and that, Charlie's attention kept diverting to the closed door leading to the garage…and his chalkboards.

To him it seemed like forever since he had stood before those boards and worked on any math problem, and he was just dying to get back to it.

Amita, catching Charlie's semi lost look, said, "Math will still be there when you're stronger, Charlie."

"I know it's just…"

"You miss it so much that you feel the need to return to it." Amita said.

Slowly Charlie nodded his head as he looked at her.

"Just wait a little longer Charlie. It'll still be there." Amita replied as she hooked one arm around Charlie's arm.

Charlie looked down at their now intertwined hands and slowly he smiled.

He was now just getting comfortable with the thought and idea of dating Amita, and that was her first step of agreement as well.

Looking back up, Charlie saw that Amita was smiling at him as well.

"I'll just..wait a little longer." Charlie agreed as he settled back against the couch and turned his attention to the conversation between Don and David.


	11. Epilogue

When it Rains Epilogue

Don pulled up to the house, turned off the motor and exited the vehicle.

After slamming the door shut, Don was all prepared to walk inside the house when a familiar sound made him stop and look up at the darkening sky.

"Oh no. Not again." Don said when he saw the ever familiar flash of lightening, and then seconds later he heard the rumble of thunder.

Shaking his head, Don jogged the last few feet and entered the house just in time to see his father put his hands on his hips as he stared at the tv screen.

"Dad?" Don asked as he went to stand next to his father.

"It's the same." He said, gesturing to the weather channel which showed the building storm over LA.

Taking his own look at the tv, Don saw what his father was talking about. Everything, down to the size and speed of the storm was the exact same as the last storm that had hit. The last storm which had driven Charlie in to the vile clutches of Kareem in the first place.

"Where's Charlie?" Don asked, after looking up from the tv.

"Donnie, after all these years, do you really need to ask?" Alan replied with a knowing look on his face.

"Wait don't tell me. The garage." Don said, before he snapped his fingers and turned on his heel.

Walking down the hall, Don stopped at the open door which led to the garage. Going though the entrance, Don was heartened to hear the scratching of chalk on a chalk board as he walked down the old, wooden steps of the garage.

"Hey Charlie." Don said as he gave Charlie a nod of his head.

"Hey Don." Charlie replied as he gave his big brother a semi glance before he put a hand to his head to try and retain the information he was currently trying to get down on the board.

"What'cha working on?" Don asked as he came and stopped beside his brother.

"It's a graph theory for a friend at the CIA." Charlie said calmly.

"For real?"

"Don, do I look like I'm kidding to you?" Charlie asked as he stood and faced his brother.

Don didn't know what to say to that. In fact he was a little confused by Charlie's tone of voice, but that confusion went up a few notches when Charlie started giggling.

"Come on Donnie, lighten up!" Charlie replied with a grin on his face as he put the chalk down.

"This is just something for Larry's work." Charlie said, gesturing to the math covered boards.

Don's mouth opened and took on the shape of an O, but nothing came out.

"So, what'd you need?" Charlie asked, putting his fingers together and giving Don his full and undivided attention.

"Um, I got a new case and uh was wondering if you'd take a look at these numbers Colby found at the scene." Don said, handing the folder to his brother.

"Sure, I'll take a look at it." Charlie said, taking the folder and following his brother back into the house.

"I'll do a set of variables and let you know what I've got." Charlie said as he had his face buried in the folder, looking over the numbers intently.

Just then a loud rumble of thunder sounded, causing Charlie to jump and nearly drop the folder.

"Let me know when you're finished and then I will personally come and give you a ride to the office." Don said, patting Charlie's shoulder.

Charlie nodded his head, fully agreeing with Don, who turned and headed for the door.

"Least this way I don't have to be wondering where he is." Don muttered as he opened the door and walked out in to the now sprinkling rain, while Charlie, still nice and dry, turned and went back to the garage to begin working on the new case.

THE END

**A/N: **I would personally like to thank all of the people who reviewed this story. Especially **luvnumb3rs**, **merryw,** and **maurbill. **You guys stuck with the story from beginning to end, and you were faithful in reviewing almost each and every chapter. And for that, I thank you.


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